Switched
by CharlotteAshmore
Summary: Belle doesn't take the news of Rumpel's heart problem well at all and sets out to change their future in her own way. Set in 04x18


**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own anything remotely affiliated with OUAT and its characters, plotlines (that's for damn sure), or copyrights. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**Summary: **Belle doesn't take the news of Rumpel's heart problem well at all and sets out to change their future in her own way. Set in 04x18

**Tags: ***Rumpelstiltskin, *****Belle, *****Emma, *****Regina, *****Zelena, *****Robin Hood, *****Post Ep fix it o/s, *****I was coerced into writing this, *****I have no idea where this idea sprang from, *****Angst, *****Smut (really are you that surprised?) *****Comfort, *****Relationship fix it, *****TLK

**A/N: **Needless to say, this episode sent my muse running to hide under the bed with her pillow and a bottle of tequila. She refused to allow me to write ANYTHING until I completed this, so it is what it is. Hope you leave some feedback, comments feed the beast :D Thanks so much for reading, my darlings!

Switched

By:

CharlotteAshmore

Belle looked down at the blackened husk of his heart clasped loosely in his hand, tears smarting at the backs of her lids. All the hurt, the anger, the burning betrayal she'd felt weeks ago seeped away as she gazed down at the tiny sliver of red left to his heart, the last of his love … all for her. The author couldn't save him, she knew. That deceiver would do nothing but give her husband another set of choices and once again he'd flounder about and make the wrong ones. There was only one person who could save him from himself.

"I don't expect you to understand, of course, but I –"

She closed her small hands around his, her thumbs brushing gently against his skin as her tear filled eyes rose to meet his. "I do," she croaked, her voice breaking under the weight of their combined pain. "I worry that I may have thrown out our chipped cup too soon." She kept one hand over his and used the other to grip the lapel of his coat, pulling him closer. "We were both wrong, Rum. Granted, you should have trusted me enough to confide in. I'm your wife, not some stranger off the street. We could have found another way to free you from the dagger … but I was wrong too. I never should have sent you away."

He brushed a tear from the corner of her eye, his fingertips ghosting over her cheek as he inched closer, searching her crystalline orbs for any sign of rejection. Her hand slipped around his nape and pressed gently beneath his soft hair, urging him to close the distance between them. Gods, how she'd missed him, she thought, savoring the feel of his lips gently pressing against hers. It had been so long and the despair and fear of thinking she'd never see him again still clutched at her heart. Which made what she had to do next even more difficult.

The betrayal burning in his sable eyes was like a knife to her chest as her fingers closed around his damaged heart and slipped it from his palm. "Belle!"

"Shh," she soothed, pressing a finger to his lips. "Trust me, Rumpel, please. I know I don't deserve it, but please … just this once?"

Gold's eyes flickered nervously between his heart in her hand and the pleading in her gaze. "Belle, what are you doing?" he asked, his hand reaching forward to retrieve the feebly pulsing organ. "You don't know what –"

"Be still and just listen to my voice," she crooned, her tone dipping into one he'd rarely heard outside of their bedroom. "I'm going to hold onto this and we're going to go back to the shop, alright. We're going to sit down and talk this through." She carded the fingers of her free hand through his hair and felt him relax into her, having no choice but to obey the keeper of his heart. It left a sour taste in her mouth, realizing she was using just another form of control over him, but she promised herself this would be the last time. She reminded herself firmly that she was doing this to save him. "I won't let anything happen to you," she vowed, and this was one she intended to keep.

*X***XX***X*

Belle kept her eyes on the road, careful to keep one hand wrapped protectively about his heart and the other around the steering wheel. She glanced furtively over at him every so often to make sure he was alright. His pallor worried her more than she'd like to admit and she was happy she hadn't let Regina talk her into something she'd later regret. As if she'd let that witch _borrow_ her heart for some noble purpose. Nefarious purpose, yes … noble, not so much. She'd put them both through seven kinds of hell over the past three and a half decades. She wasn't about to give her more wood for the fire. Belle was willing to help them all bring Rumpelstiltskin back to the right side, but she was going to try her way first.

"Who taught you to drive, dearest?" Gold asked, resting his head back against the seat as he turned to look at her, a small smile curving his lips. It was the most inane thing he could think to say, uncomfortable with the silence that thickened the air inside the car.

Belle snorted as she turned onto Main Street and drove slowly towards the shop, pleased to see Regina's car parked on the side street. "Not David, certainly. Not after that episode last fall when he decided he should give Henry a driving lesson."

He huffed a short bark of laughter. "Indeed not."

"It was Emma, actually."

"I've seen the savior drive," he grimaced. "I don't know if I should be encouraged or horrified."

They were silent for a long moment before he reached over and twined his fingers with hers as she pulled up on the street in front of the shop and turned off the ignition. "Belle, please, won't you give it back? We can talk just as easily with it _inside_ my chest as out. I promise you have my undivided attention."

She found it infinitely sad that she'd been forced to take his heart from him to gain that attention. She squared her shoulders and freed herself from her grip, pocketing the keys and reaching for the door handle. Hurrying around the front of the car, he was already out and waiting for her when she made it to the door of the small building. He was less than pleased to find Regina stalking around the front of the shop in a state of high dudgeon when they entered. "What the hell are you doing here?" he snarled. They last he'd heard, she had been planning to hie off to New York to rescue her beloved Robin Hood. "What happened to your travel plans?"

"Something came up," she murmured in a dry tone. "Well?" she asked, spreading her hands in a gesture of askance as she turned to face Belle. She paled as she caught a brief glimpse of what was in her hand. "Is that –"

"Back room, now," Belle commanded, her tone brooking no objection. If she were going to work with Regina on this matter, she wanted it made clear that _she_ was in charge. She wouldn't allow the former queen to harm her husband. Gold gave Regina a cold narrow-eyed stare as he acquiesced to the gentle pressure of Belle's hand in his and passed the queen on the way to the rear of the shop.

"Shouldn't we wait for Emma?" Regina asked, swishing the curtain out of the way as she followed. "I sent her to Granny's for coffee, but she should be back soon."

Gold visibly stiffened as Belle pushed him down on the cot he kept there in the back room and settled at his side, leaving Regina to continue her restless pacing. "No, the last thing we need is Killian coming here with her. You can fill her in later." She cast a worried glance at her husband. "And we don't have any time to spare."

"Alright," Regina agreed. "What have you learned? Gods know he won't tell me anything."

"I can hear you," he replied drolly, his teeth gnashing together as his gaze swung between the two women.

Belle turned her agonized gaze to him. "Regina told me about what happened to you in New York, about Zelena and how she's posing as Marian and your stay in hospital." All the pain and heartache she'd suffered – the guilt she felt due to her part in their separation – all weighed heavily upon her. She leveled the brunette with a meaningful stare. "Basically, outside of Storybrooke, his heart condition will slowly kill him."

"Or not so slowly," he said dolefully, staring down at his hands. He knew the hopelessness of his situation without having his wife give Regina a run down.

Belle slipped her free hand over his nape and eased her fingers over the tense knots at the top of his spine before continuing. "Here in town, where there's magic and his curse has free reign, it's claiming more and more of his heart. Soon there will be nothing left but the darkness and the demon will have full control over him."

"What?" Regina stammered incredulously, stopping midstride in her pacing to stare down at them. "What does that mean?"

"It means I will no longer have that sliver of good left in me that keeps me from laying waste to this pathetic town, dearie," he snarked acerbically. He sighed as the pressure of Belle's hand on his nape increased, her touch soothing him as nothing else could. "What is it you want, Regina? You made it more than clear that you wanted no part of my plan."

"You're in league with my sister and you want to turn Emma dark!" she shrieked. "I'm not going to just stand by and let you do that!"

"I had no choice!"

"Enough!" Belle interjected, rising to her feet to come between them. "All this discord is getting us nowhere. We have to somehow find a solution without putting Emma's soul at risk. We can't allow her to be harmed and we can't let Zelena get away with what she's done."

"We can always depend on the librarian to state the obvious," Regina sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Gold rose to his feet and took a threatening step closer to his former student, his hands curled into claws. "I'll not have you talk to my wife in that manner. I'm not obligated to help you _or_ your lover."

Regina refused to quail under his menacing gaze, having been there too many times before to be intimidated by him. "If you hadn't tried to kill her – and failed – we wouldn't be in this situation right now."

"Rumpel, please! Regina, stop! We can't expect him to go up against her in his weakened state, it's only going to make things that much more difficult. Can you heal him?" Belle asked, raking a frustrated hand through her unbound curls.

"Of course not. Look at that thing!" she hissed with a shudder of revulsion. "I've done some unspeakable things in my time and not even my heart is that shriveled and black. Besides, that damage was caused by evil deeds, dear. It's not a sprained ankle. It would take -" Her dark whiskey colored eyes narrowed contemplatively on Belle, her mind working quickly through the variables. "- a great sacrifice of a pure soul."

"What are you talking about?" Gold asked, not at all sure he wanted to hear what she had to say. He wasn't keen on the way she was looking at his wife.

Regina brightened, her blood racing as she thought of the possibilities. "After Snow killed my mother – thanks to you –" she sneered, glaring at Gold, "her heart was darkened, but as we know, the heart can heal. When she had no choice but to sacrifice David's heart for the curse to bring us all back here last year, and decided to split it in two - to share her heart with him – it no longer bore the darkness that had previously tainted it."

"You are not splitting my wife's heart, Regina!" he roared, pulling Belle behind him and away from the queen's twitchy fingers. He could practically hear the gears whirring away in her mind as she sought to find a way to use Belle for her own gain.

"It wouldn't work, Rumpel, so don't get your leathers in a twist."

Belle eyed her suspiciously as she absently caressed her husband's heart still clasped between her hands. "Why wouldn't it. The Charmings share true love, but so do Rumpel and I. We should have just as much chance of success –"

Regina vehemently shook her head, feeling she had neither the time nor patience to explain things to the little milkmaid. "Charming wasn't sharing his body with a demon, a curse …" She arched a condescending brow at Gold. "… or whatever it is. If it's doing this to his heart, sharing half of yours is simply going to give it something new to feed on and it won't take long before it's right back to looking like that."

"I'd never allow it to begin with. It's too dangerous and I will not have my Belle suffer any more because of me," he admitted ruefully, taking a seat in the chair behind his desk. "Our best chance is the author."

"NO!" they both answered, giving him equal looks of irritation.

"Dearest," he murmured softly in his most cajoling tone. Belle winced, knowing that tone didn't bode well for any of them. "Is it really any wonder that I cannot find it in myself to give a damn about anyone in this town aside from you and my grandson? It's not as if they even remember we live here unless they have some magical dilemma." His right hand shot into the air as his lips curled back over his teeth in a snarl. "And then the moment my back is turned I have to worry about the local thieves chasing unabashedly after my wife!"

"Rum –"

"What's going on in here? I can hear you all out on the street," the savior said as she hurried into the back room, her keys in one hand and a tray of coffees in the other. "Gold … "

Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes at the wary look on her face. "I suppose Captain Lackbrain …" He shuddered visibly, "… and gods forbid, your parents, won't be far behind."

Regina waved a hand in an airy gesture that clearly stated she was all out of patience. "Can we please get back to the matter at hand?"

"What matter? I thought we were going to look for the author?" Emma said, handing Regina one of the to-go cups and taking a hearty sip from her own. Her eyes were red rimmed and her skin pale as death. She looked as if she hadn't slept in a week and couldn't have felt much better.

A slow devious smile curled the queen's lips as she gestured to Gold's heart clutched protectively in Belle's hand. "He can wait. We've got something better … The Dark One."

"Regina, you are not _using_ my husband to –"

"He wouldn't have hesitated to use any of us, Belle, including you!" Regina snarled bitterly. "Who is he going to have to kill before you open up your eyes? Wait, didn't he already try to do that?"

Belle took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Now was not the time to bring up past mistakes that could better be dealt with at a later time. The entire time they'd been arguing, the queen's words had been playing over and over in her mind. Her fingers stroked lovingly over the hardened husk of her husband's heart as she stepped closer to Regina. "What you said … will it work?"

"Will what work?" Emma asked, looking between the two women and the Dark One.

"You know you don't stand a chance of defeating your sister without his help and in his present state, he's no good to you. You need him to be strong," she said firmly, her mouth set in a determined line. "Give him mine."

"Belle, no!" he protested, his face twisted into a mask of horror. "There's no telling what the curse will do to your heart if it's forced to reside in my body. I can't let you do this."

Regina ignored him as she looked down at the diminutive librarian. "You're serious about this," she whispered, stunned.

"If my soul, my light - whatever you want to call it – can somehow erase some of the darkness from his heart and help it begin to heal, I have to do this. My heart can in turn enable him to keep his curse at bay until we can find some way to break it," she turned her resolute stare on her husband. "And I assure you, Rumpel, we _will_ find a way to break this. You've been under that demon's yolk for far too long. This switch will give him the strength he needs to fight Zelena and he won't need the author to give him a new set of choices for his curse to muck up."

Gold wasn't convinced. "Even if this were to work without harming Belle, just how do you plan to deal with Zelena before she does something unspeakable to your precious thief," he asked Regina.

"Without the cabochon pendant, will she have her magic?" Emma asked, voicing what was surely on everyone's minds.

Regina shrugged. "I doubt she would have threatened the Dark One if she didn't. She would know she'd be facing certain death if she stepped foot back over the town line without it." She sighed and rubbed her hand wearily over her brow. "Considering she wasn't raised by our mother, she's entirely too much like her."

"Well Rumpelstiltskin _did_ train her," Emma admitted ruefully.

Belle interceded before they could gang up on her husband and begin yet another argument. "Rum, what did you promise her when she came to threaten you in the hospital? What is it she wants?"

He tried to suppress the shudder brought on by the memory, but knew it would be difficult to hide anything from Belle's sharp gaze. "She … ah …" He took a deep breath and brushed his thumb over the ring on his left hand, remembering all too well the witch's grasping fingers as she plucked at the stone. "She wants the author to write a happy ending for her as well."

"Then we'll just have to give her what she wants," the queen said, a sly grin curling her ruby lips.

"Are you insane?" Emma gaped. "Her happy ending surely involves tortures and fire and death and possibly disembowelment … Yours! Not to mention what she'd want to do to the rest of this town."

"She wants _a_ happy ending. Why does it necessarily have to be hers? I don't see why the author couldn't loosely interpret her wishes to benefit us rather than her." She nodded at Gold. "Rumpel has been doing it for hundreds of years."

Gold snorted. "I have just enough ink stashed away for one story, dearie … mine. I'm not going to jeopardize my own happiness for the likes of her … not after everything she's put me through."

"Rumpel, if the switch is effective, you won't need the author," Belle said softly, moving to stand next to his chair.

"What switch?" Emma asked. "I swear, Regina! You send me for coffee and I miss everything."

Gold tentatively took Belle's hand in his as Regina went on to explain to the savior what his wife wanted to attempt, his thumb stroking lightly over her soft skin. It soothed him in a way he couldn't explain that she wasn't pushing him away. "Belle, there's no guarantee this is even going to work."

"There's also no guarantee the happy ending the author can write for you will be happy either, Rumpel. This is our best chance." She smiled at his sharp intake of breath as she leaned down and pressed her brow to his, savoring the contact just as much as he did. She didn't protest when he pulled her to stand between his knees, his hands wreathing her small waist. She stroked a hand over his hair, reveling in its softness. "Let go of your fear, darling, and trust me."

Regina cleared her throat, drawing their attention. "Could you perhaps save it for later?" she asked, disgust and mild revulsion lacing her tone. "Like when I don't have a full stomach?" She was regretting the pancakes she'd eaten that morning.

Gold cast her a scathing glare before turning a baleful look on his wife. "Belle, I don't want to do this. We don't know how this is going to affect you. If you're harmed –"

"This is _your_ heart, Rumpel. You gave it to me metaphorically long ago. Now you can give it to me in the literal sense," she whispered, making no move to step out of his embrace, realizing he needed this comfort as much as anything. "The same is true of mine. What better heart to replace yours than that of your true love?"

"We don't know what my curse will do to it, Belle."

"And we won't find out if you keep stalling," Regina protested, more than ready to begin. "Are you ready, Belle?"

Gold's arms wrapped protectively about his wife's waist as he stood, shuffling Belle off to his side. "You're not touching her!" he hissed at the queen. "If anyone is going to remove her heart, it will be me."

Regina threw up her hands in exasperation before crossing her arms over her chest. "Whatever, just get on with it."

Belle gazed up at him trustingly despite the fear coursing through her. She was determined to be brave enough for the both of them. "Go on, Rum, you can do this," she encouraged him, wrapping her arm about his shoulders, his own heart still clutched loosely in her other hand, guarding it fiercely.

His brows arched as his face screwed up into a pained expression. "It's going to hurt, dearest. There's nothing I can do to prevent that." She nodded and let him pull her closer, tucking into his left side and pressing her face into his neck, resigned to what was to come. She bit down on her lower lip with a whimper as his hand plunged into her chest, the air in her lungs freezing as he clutched tightly to her heart and pulled it free. She swallowed convulsively, dragging in a halting breath as she stared down at the glowing enchanted organ pulsing in her husband's hand.

His lips brushed tenderly over her temple. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. Are you alright? I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I'm fine, Rumpel," she assured him, trying to make her breathing slow and even to let the sensation of his hand in her chest cavity pass.

"Alright, you can ooh and ahh later," Regina snarked with a roll of her eyes. "Best we get that thing installed in you and call Zelena."

"How's she even supposed to get back to Storybrooke?" Emma asked, tossing her empty to-go cup in the trash.

Gold shrugged. "I doubt she and the thief have a way back with their limited means."

"Could you please stop calling him that!?" Regina snarled.

He huffed a short laugh. "I always believed in calling things by their proper names, dearie."

"Rumpel, please don't antagonize her," Belle sighed, dropping into the chair he'd vacated earlier. She was feeling a bit queasy and didn't think anyone would find it amiss if she took a breather. "Someone is probably going to have to go and get her." Three horrified stares turned on her which she promptly ignored. "What? She's no doubt going to demand transportation."

"Belle's right," Emma sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose to stave off the pressure building behind her eyes. "I suppose I could drive down and give them a lift back."

Regina held out her hand, gesturing impatiently for Gold to hand over Belle's heart. "That gives us some time for you to become accustomed to your full strength again."

Gold stared at her incredulously, holding it out of her reach. "I'm not letting you have it!"

"I hope you don't think we're going to allow you to put it in yourself. As soon as our backs are turned you'll be doing your damnedest to remove it and switch them back. Give!" When he still wouldn't relinquish it, she huffed, "Don't make Belle command you, Gold."

"That's so not happening again," Belle muttered under her breath, vowing to herself that she would never do that to him again. She was one who learned quickly from her mistakes.

His shoulders drooped dejectedly as he glanced down at Belle's hopeful smile. He couldn't bring himself to fight her on this when it would go a long way towards making amends with her. Reluctantly, he held out the heart and carefully placed it into Regina's waiting palm. Belle rose from her seat and wrapped her hand about his left arm, Emma moving to take his right, offering their support as they didn't know how he would react to the switch.

"Deep breath, Gold. You know how this works," Regina said, her brow furrowing in concentration as she stood before him. She'd never seen him so nervous and just on the edge of panic as he was now. Belle really needed to help him work on his trust issues. Not that she had ever given him a reason to trust her … quite the opposite. There was too much bitterness and vain attempts to harm one another for them to ever have more than a low tolerance for the other. Setting those pesky feelings aside she gave a shrug of her brows and lunged forward, her hand burrowing deeply into his chest to settle Belle's heart in place of his own.

Belle held tightly to him as a tiny whimper made its way past his tightly compressed lips. Then it was over; he was free of Regina's punishing grip and slumping weakly against his wife. "It's ok, Rum," she crooned, helping him to sit in the chair. She took a bottle of water Emma offered and unscrewed the cap. "Here, drink."

Emma eyed him nervously as he gulped half the bottle before taking a breath. "How do you feel?"

A startled look of awe spread over his weathered features as his hand pressed firmly to his chest. He drew in a deep shuddering breath, his lungs filling to a capacity he hadn't known in longer than he cared to remember. He felt as though light were flooding his veins, sending out little impulses of electricity to every one of his nerve endings and charging him with renewed vigor and life. A little giggle slipped its way past his lips as he lifted his gaze to his wife.

Belle's brows disappeared somewhere in her hairline. "Rumpel? Are you alright?"

Another giggle resounded in the room as he reached for her, his hands latching onto her hips and pulling her against him, his face burrowing against her breasts. She pushed against his shoulders, trying to get his focus back onto their present predicament, but he seemed to be more content to cuddle with his wife.

"Oh gods!" Regina groaned. "He's high on your heart! We do not need a stoned Dark One!"

He giggled again and Belle shot Regina a pleading look. "What?!" She jerked her gaze back to the euphoric expression on her husband's face. "What's happening to him?"

Emma shook her head. "I've seen junkies with that look before. How did this even happen?"

Regina waved a hand at Belle in disgust, her lip curled up in a sneer. "His wife – the paragon of virtue, little miss sunshine and happiness – that's what! How the hell is he supposed to deal with Zelena when he looks as if he'd rather curl up in your lap and – well I don't even want to contemplate what he might want to do."

Belle stroked her fingers through the silvery brown hair at his temple and smiled happily. She couldn't ever remember seeing him so relaxed in all the time she'd known him. There was always that mixture of anxiety, fear and nervousness that made him so manic. She glanced over her shoulder at Regina. "Did you spell my heart so he won't be able to remove it himself?"

The queen nodded. "Yes, and I can do the same with his before I place it in you. However, I think it would be a good idea to help him gain some control before we do that."

"I agree." She pointed over to one of the shelves. "Would you hand me that little teak box there … the one with the inlaid mother of pearl embellishments on the lid?"

Emma grabbed the box and brought it over, watching curiously as Belle took Rumpelstiltskin's heart and laid it gently inside. "Yeah, well, my freaky meter is pinging on ten for the day. I think I'll check in with Killian and maybe grab some lunch before we head to New York." She gave Regina a pointed look. "Why don't we ask Henry to join us?"

"But, Emma, I don't think –"

"I do. Belle can handle Gold." She latched on to Regina's elbow and tugged her over to the curtain that would lead them into the front of the shop, calling to Belle over her shoulder. "Call us if you need us, Belle. We'll be back in an hour."

*X***XX***X*

Gold drifted along on a sea of contentment, secure in the comfort of her embrace, his head pillowed against her bosom and a languid smile pulling at his lips. He couldn't ever remember being so peaceful, even before when he'd been fully human. His hands tugged at her light pullover, freeing it from the waistband of her skirt, slipping beneath to splay over the bare skin of her back. He'd been so long without her, he couldn't bear to be parted from her another moment.

"Rumpel … Rum, stop," she whispered breathily as she cradled his head in her hands, trying to make him look at her. "Rum, we have to focus. We don't have time for us right now."

"Mhmm," he sighed, the light flooding through his body not wanting to relinquish its hold on him just yet. They could worry about their problems later. Right now, it just felt too good having her in his arms. There was no darkness, only light and love and peace and … did she walk around like this all the time with so much goodness fueling her soul? "Sit on my lap, dearest," he murmured, wrapping his arm about her waist and pulling her to straddle his thighs.

Belle gave up trying to free herself from his arms and carded her fingers gently through his hair. She would give him the time he needed to adjust. As much as she'd researched magicks over the last year, there was still too many unexplained phenomena regarding enchantments of the heart. "Oh, Rumpel …" She winced as his arms tightened around her. His lack of response to anything besides touch was beginning to concern her. "Are you ok?"

Finally, he tilted his head back to meet her gaze, his eyes slightly glazed, a light she'd never seen before shining in their depths. "How do you do it?" he asked softly, an astonished smile curling his lips.

"Do what?"

"How do you stand the light? It's so bright, Belle … pure. I can hardly feel my curse at all and … it's almost as if it's not even there." He knew it was, but there was a force blocking it from reaching him. His head was beginning to clear and he reached out his hand, focusing his magic. Sparks shot from the tips of his fingers and transformed the candlestick on his desk into a lantern.

Belle chuckled. "Well, it doesn't seem to have affected your magic … at least not negatively. That's a good thing with what you have to face." She wrapped her arms around his neck and toyed with the ends of his hair, her lower lip disappearing between her pearly teeth. Despite the peace she was finding in their quiet moment, she couldn't seem to ignore the elephant in the room any longer. It would fester and grow until the tension overwhelmed her and it exploded into an outpouring of anger and she didn't want that. "Rumpel, I'm sorry I didn't listen when you tried to explain, for making you leave. I –"

He shook his head vehemently. "No, sweetheart, I shouldn't have lied to you to begin with. I promised you trust and I failed. I was afraid, Belle. I'm so sorry."

"Shh, no … no apologies. We hurt each other so badly. I was rash and lashed out at you without listening to you. I was just so angry that you'd lied to me, and manipulated me. You made me feel as if I didn't matter to you, Rumpel." She searched his face, feeling every ounce of the pain she saw there as if it were her own. "But I should never have sent you away. How could you put your trust in me after I tried to control you with the dagger? I was so wrong to do that, especially after what you'd gone through while Zelena had you as her prisoner."

"I never expected you to stay with me, Belle," he whispered brokenly as he lowered his gaze. "I'm not trying to make excuses, but this is who I am. I'm a man who makes horrible choices. Not all of them can be blamed on my curse. I'm not even going to try to pretend. I knew eventually I would push you away and you'd leave."

Her fingertips traced over the curve of his jaw and he leaned his face into her touch, another surge of pure light coursing through him. it merely made the pain of their separation that much more unbearable because he could so acutely feel her love. "I can't tell you how much I regretted sending you away. At the time I thought I was protecting the town, but it didn't make the pain any more bearable," she said, her voice catching on a sob. "I can't tell you how many times I went to the line … wishing I could call you back."

Gold pulled her closer, tucking her head beneath his chin as she wept. "I just want you to be happy, Belle," he said, rubbing soothing circles along her back. "Does the thief make you happy?"

She reared back to look at him, a frown puckering her brow. "Will? He's just a friend. I enjoy spending time with him because he doesn't seem to forget about me unless he needs something," she admitted wryly, a little of the bitterness she felt towards the townspeople seeping into her tone.

His jaw clenched tightly, his teeth gnashing together as jealousy reared its ugly head and sank its talons into his gut. "You didn't kiss him like he was just a friend."

"I never thought I would see you again!" she cried, pushing against his chest until he released her. Her hands balled into fists as she paced the small space next to his desk. "And did you even tell me when you came back?!"

"It was six weeks!" he bellowed, regaining his feet and pointing a finger at her. "How long was it before you fell into bed with your _friend_, dearie?!"

She slapped him, the stinging in her hand fueling her rage. "How dare you! I have never been unfaithful to you."

"I _saw_ you, Belle. I saw you kiss him the night I returned."

"I am not going to defend myself when I've done nothing wrong!"

"Kissing a man who isn't your husband isn't wrong?" he raged. He kneaded his chest where her heart beat furiously, every new emotion coursing through him with renewed vigor.

"What part of _I thought you were gone forever_ do you not seem to comprehend?! And you were no better, pretending to be Hook in order to get the dagger back." she growled, arching a furious brow as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You were still lying! Still manipulating me! Yet all I could bloody well think about when Regina told us you were back was how much I missed you," she continued to shout, swiping at the tears that leaked unbidden from her eyes. "And how much I wanted you to come to me, to let me see if you were alright –"

"I couldn't be controlled again! Can't you see that?" he whispered, desperate for her to understand.

"If I had known … I would have summoned you to me. I just wanted you to come home. I wanted to talk to you, to fix this!"

He smiled sadly, gentling his tone. "Maybe we can't be fixed … not this time. Perhaps we're just too broken, Belle."

She threw her hands up in exasperation. "You're just going to give up now?" Her hand shot out and wrapped around his tie, jerking him forward, his face mere inches from hers. He was so close he could see fire blazing in their depths. "Long ago, I promised I would never stop fighting for you and then I sent you away thinking I'd never see you again. I've been granted another chance and I'll be damned if I give up on you again. It seems that is all we do. You make a mistake, I retreat for a while and then welcome you back. You have to fight too." Her fingers tightened on the knot of his tie as she pressed a kiss to his parted lips. "Tell me now, Rumpel. Do you still want me? Can we put the pain behind us and move forward? Are you going to fight for _me_ this time?"

His borrowed heart beat a rapid tattoo against his ribs as his arms encircled her waist, crushing her to him. His breath constricted in his chest, and not just because she was steadily choking him with his tie. "Belle … yes! I will … I promise," he vowed, meaning every word. He couldn't lose her again if she were willing to let him back into her life.

Before he could blink Belle was pushing his jacket off of his shoulders to fall behind him to the floor, her quick fingers plucking diligently at the buttons on his waistcoat as she plundered his mouth. He couldn't catch his breath, reduced to panting as every touch was fueled by the pulsing of his true love's heart. Everything was brighter, clearer, his senses alive as they hadn't been in centuries. Would this be what it felt like to have his heart flooded with light again? To be free of his curse? To bask in her love every day for the rest of their lives?

Belle broke away for the barest second, yanking her pullover off and dropping it atop his discarded jacket, pulling his head back down to hers as she slipped her hands into his open shirt to press against his bare skin. He whimpered softly as her teeth scored his bottom lip, the metallic tang of his own blood flooding his mouth. "Belle … aren't we … too fast?"

"Shut up, Rumpel," she gasped, reaching for his belt and sliding it hurriedly from his belt loops. "We're … making a new … memory." She pushed him back into the chair at his desk, her smile wicked and carnal and filled with more lust than he'd ever seen on her face.

Heat suffused his blood – all of it surging south to his straining cock – as he watched her kick of her heeled boots and wriggle out of her tights. "Belle, are you sure?" he asked, fighting for control as he gripped tightly to the arms of the chair.

"Not another word, Rumpelstiltskin unless it's _yes, more _or _please_," she commanded, taking him in as she stood before him in only her skirt and lacy bra. She moved closer, thrusting a knee between his thighs to part them. "Now be a good husband and unbutton your pants." He did as she bid, but nothing more, waiting to see what she would ask of him next. This wasn't about him and any pleasure he might gain from the encounter. This was about giving her control where she'd never had it before. He groaned softly as the tip of her little pink tongue was caught between her teeth, her head tilting slightly to the side as she watched him. "Take yourself out, Rum. Let me see you."

"Belle …"

She arched a brow at him, her chin obstinately rising a notch as she made it clear to him that she wouldn't touch him until he obeyed. Gold lifted his arse and lowered his trousers and boxers down to his thighs, leaving himself on display to her hungry gaze, his eyes never leaving hers as she drew in a stuttering breath. "See that wasn't so difficult, was it?" she purred, moving forward to climb onto his lap, her knees bracketing his hips as her core came in direct contact with his cock.

Air hissed through his teeth as her wet folds slid over his throbbing flesh, his head falling back as his entire body came alive with need. "Please …" he moaned, using one of the three words she'd given him permission to use. "More."

Belle rocked over him gently, gasping as the blunt head of his cock brushed over her swollen clit. Her hands curled over his silk clad shoulders, her nails digging through the expensive fabric to score his flesh. She moaned softly as his hands tightened over her hips, drawing her ever closer, the heat of his mouth, the velvet of his lips, ghosting over the swells of her breasts. His hands slid up her sides, over her ribs, before pulling the lacy cups of her bra down to tuck beneath her breasts, lifting them, baring them to his gaze.

Gold worshipped her with his warm ocher gaze. "My beautiful wife," he breathed, taking note of her sensuous smile before drawing her into his mouth. Her soft keening cry as he lavished her nipple with his tongue and teeth music to his ears, never having thought he'd be blessed enough to hear that sound again. "I love you so much, Belle. I –"

She pressed a finger to his parted lips as she reached between them to take him in hand, stroking him gently as she met his eyes. "I love you, too, Rumpel. I always have," she whispered fervently. "Now tell me what you want."

His head fell back against the chair, cracking his skull against the wood as pleasure washed over him with each stroke of her hand, not noticing the pain. "You … my Belle … my wife. Always you … now until forever."

She granted him an answering smile, pleased with his response, and rolled her hips. He cried out as she steadied herself over him and thrust her hips down, taking all of him in one fell swoop, impaling herself on his throbbing member until her groin was flush with his and nothing was left between their heated flesh. She held herself still, biting at her lip as she tried to hold her own pleasure at bay. Her fingers curled into his hair, holding his head still for her kiss, her tongue, her teeth, her lips, ravaging his mouth and conveying all the pent up emotion that had been locked inside her for far too long.

"Open your eyes, Rum," she whispered, drawing back just enough to see that he would obey. She raised her hips and tightened her inner muscles as she withdrew, a wicked smile on her lips as she returned. He was thoroughly wrecked, his fingers digging into her hips, urging her to do it again. She was sure to have the imprints of those skilled fingers on her flesh for days to come. His eyes were blown wide with lust as they met hers. She withdrew again and paused. "No more lying," she hissed, slamming her hips down again. "No more secrets." Again she waited for his zealous nod before plunging down over him.

He shook his head furiously, willing to promise her anything if she would just stop the slow torture to his senses that threatened to drive him to madness. "I promise! Anything, Belle … I promise!"

Her hand slipped past the edges of his shirt, her nails raking over his flat nipple as her other hand gripped his chin. "Mine! My husband, my true love," she breathed, holding his gaze as she continued to ride him, not knowing how much longer she'd be able to hold off the intensely building flame in her lower belly. He was unbelievably hard, filling her to the point of pain and she knew he was close. "I will not betray you. I will only love you, protect you, cherish you. I will fight for you. Is that what you want, Rumpelstiltskin?"

With a growl he wrapped his arms around her thighs and regained his feet, his arms sweeping across the desk, sending any and all manner of objects scattering to the floor in a crash. He laid her down on the smooth polished surface and ground his hips into hers, gnashing his teeth as she wrapped her slender legs about his waist. "Yes, Belle," he roared, pounding into her fiercely.

"Will you fight for me as well? Will you choose me?" she panted.

"Yes! Mine! My Belle!" he growled hoarsely, the sound rumbling deep in his chest as he felt her tightly grasping sheath flutter against his cock, her thighs quivering as she stiffened in his arms. He truly did sound like the beast she'd accused him of being. With a raspy cry she fell over the edge, shattering in his arms and trusting him to put her back together.

She held tightly to him, her nails digging into the sensitive flesh at the base of his spine, her teeth biting into the spot beneath his left ear that made him wild with passion. Heat flooded her as his thrusts grew erratic, his growling sounds of pleasure filling her ears. Her fingers kneaded his nape below his collar as his panting breaths joined hers, his lips pressing lightly along her collarbone. "Love you … mine … mine … always …"

"Oh gods!"

*X***XX***X*

Regina removed her gloves and hastily shoved them into her bag as she turned to make sure Henry closed the door of the shop behind them all. She would have rathered to do this on her own, but Henry had insisted he missed his grandfather and wanted to stay with him when Regina and Emma left for New York. She really didn't want to accede to his request – especially considering that she didn't know how Belle was going to react to the Dark One's heart – but she was having more than a little difficulty telling him no of late.

"So what time do you have to leave, Mom?" Henry asked, shrugging out of his coat.

"We're supposed to call Zelena soon and then we'll –" A crash from the back room cut off Emma's explanation followed by a growl. A growl? "The hell?" She removed her sidearm and slid the safety off.

Killian laid a restraining hand on Henry's shoulder. "What was that, do you suppose?" he asked, his eyes worriedly skating over to Emma.

Regina laid her discarded coat over one of the display cases and shrugged. "Belle probably got fed up and threw something at his stubborn head," she snarked, her heels clacking across the hardwood floor as she strode towards the back room.

Emma pushed her aside as Belle screamed, hurrying to the curtain and tossing it aside, her gun raised against the unknown threat. Her eyes widened as she stared at the sight before her. "Oh Gods!" she shrieked in horror, taking in the sight of the Dark One and his wife draped across his worktable still breathing heavily and in no hurry to part from one another.

Regina made a retching sound in the back of her throat as she slapped a hand over her mouth.

Henry came in behind them. "Is gramma ok?" he asked worriedly. Thankfully Killian was right on his heels and taller than the boy. Seeing what was going on, he slapped a hand over Henry's eyes before he could witness the debacle before him.

"We leave you alone for less than an hour and this –"

"Do you mind?" Gold snarled, cutting Regina off and wrapping his arms around Belle to shield her as best he could from their avid gazes. "Turn around at least! And I suggest you avert your gaze, pirate, before I take something far more valuable to you than your bloody hand!"

"You don't have one of those memory potions lying about, do you, crocodile?" he tossed over his shoulder as he ushered a blushing Henry back through the curtain and into the front of the shop.

Belle groaned, hiding her crimson face against her husband's shoulder as Emma and Regina followed Killian out of the room. "We really need to invest in a door for the back room, Rumpel. I can't say I wanted to scar our grandson with the visual of us like this."

He straightened, quickly fastening his trousers as he helped her to sit up on the worktable. His hands rubbed briskly over her upper arms to warm her as he arched a playful brow, wondering if he should take her statement as encouragement that they might possibly engage in such activities there again. "No, I could have done without that, but to see the look of revulsion on Regina's face was possibly the highlight of my week."

"Hurry up in there! We've got work to do," Regina called from the front room.

Gold ignored her, bending to retrieve Belle's discarded clothing before righting his own, taking his time just to annoy his former pupil. Now, as he watched her straighten her shoulders, that familiar determined glint returning to her eye, all his fears seemed to crash down on him again. "Belle, are we … are we ok? Are you sure you want me back? I've done so many things -"

Belle wrapped her arms about his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, her fingertips trailing over the skin of his throat, bared by his open collar. "I love you, Rum, just as I know you love me. We'll work this out … together. But first …" She sighed and called over her shoulder. "Regina, you can come in now."

Regina peeked her head around the curtain, making certain they were indeed decent before stalking angrily into the room. "I take it you haven't called my sister since you've been otherwise occupied."

"No, I haven't," he confirmed, his hand tightening on Belle's hip. "Reconciling with my wife takes precedence over that witch."

"However," Belle interjected, "we can't put it off any longer. This needs to be done." She slipped out of his arms to retrieve his jacket from the back of the chair, where she'd hung it moments ago, and dug in the pocket for his cellphone. Her gaze was steady, no hint of fear for what was to come as she handed it to him. "Call her. Tell her whatever you want, Rum, just get her to agree to come here. This needs to end now."

Gold shot Regina a narrow-eyed look of disapproval and sighed, pulling up the contact and pressing the call button. He didn't have to wait long for the line to pick up. "Hello, dearie," he snarled into the phone as he put it on speaker so the others could hear.

"Rumpel, how delightful to hear from you. I take it you're ready to uphold your end of the bargain?" Zelena twittered excitedly over the line.

His teeth clenched and there was a slight tremor in his hand as he answered. "Yes. Everything is in place. I'm sending Emma and your sister to provide you with transportation back to Storybrooke. There's little chance of you crossing the line without them, so I'll thank you not to argue."

"So don't thank me," she snarked. "You'd better not go back on our deal, doll. The consequences will be most dire. Wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious little Belle would you?"

"You leave her out of this!" he hissed, his knuckles whitening as his grip on the device tightened.

"Careful, Rumpels, wouldn't want you to have another … attack," she cackled, more than a little amused with her quip. "Does sister dear have any idea of who her precious thief has shacked up with?"

"No. I thought it would be best not to tell her. It would spoil your fun, after all." He gave Regina a warning look to remain quiet and thankfully she heeded it well.

"Very well," she agreed when he didn't say any more. "I'll come up with some excuse why we must return. Ta ta, doll. See you soon."

"Rumpel!" Belle cried, rushing to his side with a handkerchief. The rage boiling off of him in waves melted the device in his hand and she used the cloth to remove it and toss it away. "That's the third one this year."

"Luckily, I didn't have my cane to smash anything," he returned, raking a hand through his hair in frustration as the heat began to recede.

Emma came back into the room, her cheeks still flushed bright red as she looked anywhere but at the Golds. "Killian and Henry are putting together a trip bag for us and gassing up the bug. I also made sure to stuff the snow queen's scroll into the glove compartment for the return trip. Just to be on the safe side."

"Good. We're probably going to need it," Regina said, turning her attention to Belle once more. "Are you ready, dear?"

Belle took a deep breath and retrieved the chest containing Rumpelstiltskin's heart from the desk. "As I'll ever be." She stared down at Regina's outstretched palm before her gaze flickered up to those cold dark eyes she still sometimes saw in her nightmares. "Are you certain this will work, that my soul will somehow heal his heart?"

"No one has a better chance at this than you, Belle. I'm going to be honest, though …"

"That'll be a first," Gold huffed from over Belle's shoulder.

Regina shot a baleful glare in his direction. "There is no way of knowing what this will do to you."

"Which is all the more reason why we shouldn't do this," he insisted, resting his hands on her shoulders and pulling her back against his chest. "Please … please don't do this, Belle," he pleaded softly against the shell of her ear.

Belle laid the box gently in Regina's palm and turned to her husband, her eyes flashing hotly. "This is my choice, Rumpel. Throughout the course of our relationship, you have been the one to make all the decisions. It was your choice to banish me from the Dark Castle and I was imprisoned by the queen. It was your choice to make a potion that would only protect _you,_ so that _you_ could go to New York to find Neal, leaving me to get shot and lose my memories –"

"That one wasn't my fault," he said in his own defense. "That was the pirate!"

She arched a brow at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Really? Are you denying that if you'd made enough to charm an object for me, if you'd planned on bringing me with you –"

"Point taken, dearest," he grimaced.

"Stop interrupting; it's rude." She continued to cross items of interest off on her fingers. "You left me behind instead of taking me with you to Neverland. Once again, your decision. You died! You bloody well died, Rumpel! Not even forty eight hours after your return. Did you consult me on your plan to nobly sacrifice yourself, oh great and mighty Dark One? NO! Then I finally get you back from that psychopathic witch and your machinations contribute to our separation once again." She stabbed a finger at her chest, her voice rising exponentially. "This is _my_ choice, Rumpelstiltskin, mine! It's my turn to save _you_ and nothing you can say will change my mind." Belle turned her back on him before he could utter another objection to find both Emma and Regina staring at her in wide-eyed amazement, never having seen her lose her temper before. And to berate the Dark One – in front of witnesses no less – well that was a bit unexpected. "Do it!"

"Damn, we should have gotten a bag of popcorn from Granny's for this," Emma whispered in an aside.

Regina held her tongue as she removed his blackened heart from the box and steadied her hand. "Hold onto her, Gold," she said quietly. He took her arms in a firm grip, his eyes closing in a silent prayer to any higher power that would deign to listen to him, and braced himself to catch her. The queen's hand shot forward into Belle's chest, a whimper of pain falling from his wife's lips, and then a rather nasty squelching noise as she withdrew.

Belle's cerulean orbs rolled back into her head as her knees gave out, lines of pain forming around her mouth and at the corners of her eyes. Gold caught her in his arms, sweeping her up and carrying her to the cot he kept there in the back room. He laid her down gently and smoothed the stray curls away from her face as he hovered worriedly over her.

He dropped to his knees beside the cot and took her cold hand in both of his. "Belle? Belle, sweetheart, please … please say something. Anything?"

"Y-You're dripping on me," she rasped out, cracking her eyes open just enough for her to see him. She reached up with her free hand – the one not clasped in his vise like grip – and swiped at the tears falling from his lashes. "Don't cry, Rum; I'm ok," she muttered weakly. "I just feel as if I've been drained … and cold … so cold. How do you walk around like this?"

"I'm used to it," he offered lamely.

"So tired," she murmured, her breathing shallow enough to cause worry for them all.

"Regina," he growled, looking at her menacingly over his shoulder. "Take it out. It's going to kill her if we leave it in there."

Regina nudged him out of the way and knelt beside Belle, resting her hand on her chest. Her hand glowed with a faint white light, the magic not unlike he'd seen her use against Zelena months ago. She cast him a faint smile. "She's fine, Rumpel. It's already beating more steadily than it was when you gave it to her. With time, she can repair the damage."

"How do you know?" he asked without looking at her. He found that he couldn't spare her the time or effort when his wife looked so utterly ill.

"I spelled your heart before I placed it. With a simple spell I can _see_ it without removing it to check its progress," she explained.

Belle's hand reached for his sleeve, her fingers clinging weakly to the fabric. "Rum, I'm tired. Would you take me home? I want to go home."

He lifted her in his arms, as careful as a newborn babe in his gentleness as he cradled her to his chest. She weighed next to nothing as her heart, beating so strongly in his chest, gave him newfound strength. "Get going you two," he quietly ordered the two women. "You've got a long drive ahead of you."

"Wait," Emma called out before he could magic them away. "Henry wants to stay with you while we're gone."

Gold nodded – his only answer as he was weary of them both - and carried his wife through the front of the shop, offering his grandson a smile – or what he hoped passed for one under the present circumstances – and waited for him to open the door. He settled Belle in the front seat of the Cadillac and carefully buckled her in for the short ride to the house.

Henry climbed into the back seat, his eyes meeting Gold's in the rearview mirror. "Grandpa?"

"Yes, Henry," Gold answered as he started the car.

"I'm really glad you're home."

He sighed, pulling out onto the street. "Me too, lad, me too."

*X***XX***X*

The breath hitched in Rumpelstiltskin's chest as he stepped over the threshold into his home and a myriad of scents greeted him. Home … the tantalizing scent of tea, magic and Belle. A comforting mixture of aromatics he'd thought never to experience again and now he was here with his precious wife and grandson and yet there was still a chance of it all falling apart around him.

"Is gramma going to be alright?" Henry asked worriedly as he followed his grandparents into the house.

"She will be, Henry, worry not," he said, trying to reassure the boy even if he didn't entirely believe it himself. "Why don't you see about making her a spot of tea, yeah?" He shifted her slightly in his arms as Henry scurried off towards the kitchen, and carried her upstairs to their bedroom.

"Why is it so bloody cold in here, Rumpel? I know I left the furnace on," she groused as he set her gently on the bed.

He reached for the quilt folded across the end of the bed and wrapped it about her shoulders. "It's alright, sweetheart, we'll get you warm in just a moment." He went to the dresser and rifled through the drawers, drawing out her warmest flannel pajamas and a pair of fuzzy socks. "Would you like me to run a bath for you?" he asked, kneeling at her feet and rubbing her hands briskly between his own.

She shook her head, burrowing her face beneath the quilt. "No, just sleep."

Gold set to work, his movements careful and precise as he helped her into her nightclothes and tucked her beneath the duvet, spreading out the quilt on top of the heavy comforter. He sat at her side and bathed her face with a warm cloth he'd gotten from the bathroom and brushed her silky curls away from her face. She was listless and nearly unresponsive through the whole process and he wanted to curse himself for allowing her to do this. There was no reason to put herself at risk in order to save his worthless hide.

Henry knocked on the door and entered at his grandfather's soft command to do so. He set the tea tray on the bedside table and pulled a chair over to sit beside his grandparents. "Mom said you have gramma's heart now. Is that true? And that she has yours?" he asked, not liking how tired Gold looked.

"Aye, lad. Regina is convinced having Belle's heart will return me to full power for what lies ahead when Zelena returns to Storybrooke, and that my heart resting in Belle's chest will somehow heal it enough to … well … just enough," He smoothed the blankets down over her as she shivered and hitched them higher up over her shoulders. He busied his hands making a cup of the tea just as she liked it, hoping the brew would help to warm her.

"Where did you go when you left Storybrooke?" Henry asked, sipping at his own tea.

"I went to New York," he said evasively, not elaborating more than was necessary. "It's not something I like to talk about, Henry. It was one of the lowest points of my life."

"But you're back now, and … um … ah …" Henry stammered, blushing ten shades of crimson. "… from what I saw at the shop, gramma seems to have forgiven you."

It was Gold's turn to blush, but there was no way this side of Niflheim he was going to have _that_ conversation with his grandson. He'd let Charming muddle his way through that one in his quest to be Grandfather of the Decade. "She's the most forgiving person I've ever known and gods know I don't deserve it. I was horrible, lad. I lied to her from the moment I proposed until she booted me out. Being forced to leave was the only way I was ever going to see that without her, _everything _was pointless."

Henry reached out and put a hand on his grandfather's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "At least you realized it and are trying to set things right."

Belle shivered and cracked her eyes open a bit. "Sometimes it takes losing what you love most to make you open your eyes," she rasped out, reaching for her husband's hand. He helped her sit up, supporting her with an arm about her shoulders as he handed her the cup of tea he'd prepared for her.

"Better, sweetheart?" he asked, lowering her back onto the cool sheets. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I think I'll go downstairs and call Ruby, see if she can fix up some soup and send it over," Henry offered, needing to make himself feel useful. There wasn't much he could do in the scheme of things, but he could at least order take out.

Belle gripped tightly to the lapels of Gold's expensive wool jacket, her eyes searching through the stoic mask on his face to the anxiety and worry beneath. "Stop fretting. I'll be fine."

"Yes, dearest, I can see that," he bit out sarcastically, unable to meet her eyes for a moment. "I never should have let you and Regina talk me into this."

She pulled him down beside her, pushing his jacket off his shoulders as he stretched out and tugged her into the circle of his arms. "We have time to figure it out, Rumpel. Just …"

"What?" he asked, pressing a soft kiss to her temple as he stroked his fingers through her hair.

"Don't leave me," she whispered. "I can endure anything as long as we are together."

"Never again."

*X***XX***X*

Gold didn't leave her side for four hours, keeping a constant vigil over his ailing wife. He'd managed to get half a container of soup and a few crackers down her that Will and Red had delivered from the diner. He'd left Henry to deal with them, refusing to let them up to see how Belle was doing for themselves. He'd had to seal their room with magic, but he was firm in his decision to keep them out … especially the thief. The logical part of him knew Will Scarlett wasn't a threat to his marriage, but the darker part of him, the possessive jealous side of him demanded the man stay as far away from his wife as possible.

He mopped her brow with a damp cloth as her temperature broke again. She'd been alternating between nearly freezing to burning with fever. He'd need to pull the blankets back over her soon, he was certain. She would in turn go from being cheerful and pleasant as she normally was to waspish and catty, showing him a side of her he'd never thought to see, the darkness nigh seeping from her pores. What her body must be going through physically, he didn't dare to imagine. If he tried, he was sure he would go mad, helpless to do anything to ease her pain and provide her comfort. He wouldn't even think to use magic on her. What if it caused more harm than good? Especially as dark as his magic ran.

The shrill buzzing of Belle's phone on the nightstand – he'd have to see to getting a replacement for his own – drew him out of his reverie and he reached for it, pressing the call button before the sound could rouse Belle from her restless slumber. He was more than a little surprised to see Regina's name and number flash across the screen, his brows disappearing beneath the fringe of hair over his brow. "What is it, dearie?" he asked softly as he rose from his chair to step out into the hall.

He quickly jerked the phone away from his ear as her screeching reverberated into the silence. "Wait! Slow down, Regina," he admonished her. "I can't understand you … What?!" No, he couldn't have possibly heard that right. "Where's Emma? Stop that caterwauling and put Emma on the phone!" he hissed. In all the time he'd known the little royal, he'd never heard such hysterics coming from her perfectly composed lips.

There was a brief argument, more screeching and then finally Emma answered. "Yeah, we've got more problems than Dad at a gun and knife show," she said flippantly. She must have moved away from Regina because the screeching seemed to be muted.

"What the hell is going on? You had one simple task … go to New York and bring back Zelena and company. What happened and why is Regina so upset?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder to assure himself Belle hadn't been disturbed.

"Well, we were prepared for Zelena to reveal herself … which she wasted no time in doing. We were prepared for Robin to nearly have a stroke … again no surprise."

"Emma!"

"Zelena then informed the entire room that she was pregnant. Was quite gleeful to be the one to tell Regina, too," she sighed. He could hear her boots smacking the pavement as she paced and the distant sounds of the city in the background. "It's a mess, Gold. What the hell are we supposed to do now?"

"You mean _if_ she's telling the truth. That woman is proficient at spinning her web of lies." He raked a hand through his already tousled hair, thinking quickly. "Regina should know better than to believe her until she has proof."

"We'll figure it out when we get there. They're already in the car, and let me tell you this is going to be the road trip from hell. Four hours and we'll be there."

"Be safe, dearie," he said, ringing off and going back into the bedroom. Henry, he was relieved to see, was enraptured by something on the television, the sound of a cheering crowd and the boy's shouts of 'go, go, go!' alerting him to where he was in the house.

He sat down next to the bed and reached for his wife's hand, her fingers like ice. He soothed his hand over her wrist, bringing it up to his face to press a lingering kiss to her knuckles. Soon he would have to leave her to meet the others at the town line with the author in tow and he'd rather cut off his own arm than do so. No matter how much she might want him to, there was nothing that could make him care to save the town. Only her and Henry. They were his family, his life. He would do anything for them. The rest of them could burn and he'd dance around the pyre. And now, apparently, things had gone from bad to worse.

*X***XX***X*

In the end, his assistance hadn't been necessary at all and he was seething mad that it had ended so easily. The witch _hadn't_ been pregnant after all. Just another of her lies to dig the knife deeper into her sister's heart. Emma hadn't known that at the time, however. Zelena had wanted Isaac to write her the ultimate happy ending, one laced with revenge and power and more corruption than any of them could ever have imagined. She truly was demented. When she'd seen the true tale and how she would end with nothing, she'd decided to take Regina with her. Unable to allow Regina to be harmed, Emma had embraced the full extent of her magic and used it without qualm, taking the witch's life and saving Regina in the process. The thought that she'd taken not one life, but two, had nearly destroyed the fragile hold the savior still had on her sanity.

A simple spell he'd been able to perform had laid her fears to rest, proving Zelena had been lying all along. Killian had finally put his foot down and taken her and Henry away from everything, setting sail on his recently restored ship for parts unknown whether Emma liked it or not. Gold had to agree with the pirate – though he'd never admit that to another living soul – that their savior needed a vacation after everything she'd been through. They'd be back soon enough to face whatever magical calamity swept through the town next.

Maleficent was still looking for her daughter. Emma had offered to help with the search, but the Charmings had stepped up and volunteered their assistance as a way of making amends with the dragon witch. He was sure their search would take them to an unfamiliar world and he wondered how they'd manage outside of Storybrooke.

Isaac was still lamenting the loss of his precious ink, but decided in the interim to try to make inroads with Cruella. Apparently, he wasn't willing to give up quite yet on winning her heart. It was about time he tried to secure his own happy ending … without cheating fate. Surprisingly, she wasn't quite as averse to the idea as she let on.

Gold sighed wearily as he looked out over the bay, thinking of his former apprentice. Regina and Robin were together, but she was still having difficulties coming to terms that he'd been sleeping with her sister. Granted, Zelena had duped them all, but it was still a bitter pill to swallow. Roland was happy to be back in Storybrooke, ecstatic to have been able to come home to his 'Gina', but it had been hard to have to tell him that his mother wasn't coming back. He was young and resilient and with time, hopefully he would heal. He was sure Robin would make sure of it.

He turned away from the view the terrace provided, having returned to the sorcerer's house to spend his last days with his wife as she poured over its library, certain she would be able to find something to save him. He'd made Regina switch their hearts back immediately after Zelena was vanquished, refusing to let Belle put herself in any more danger. The change to his heart hadn't been as dramatic as they'd been hoping and he knew as soon as it was returned to his own body, the curse would blacken it once more. There simply wasn't enough time. He knew what Belle had yet to fully accept … there was no saving him.

"Belle, dearest, come outside. The sun will be setting soon," he called softly, knowing she would hear the gentle cadence of his voice in the stillness of the house. She'd hardly left his side in the short time they'd been there.

"I will. Give me a few more moments. I want to check one more thing. It has to be here Rumpel. I refuse to give up," she said irritably as she poured over the tome in her hand. "You can't tell me an all-powerful sorcerer doesn't have some documentation on how to save you."

He refused to argue with her, simply saying one word, "Please?"

Belle slammed the book down on the table, making a dozen or so more tip over and spill to the floor. She planted her palms on the polished surface and leaned over, bowing her head as she fought the burning tears that stung the back of her lids. It was a testament to her upset that she wasn't upset over the fallen books. Lifting her watery gaze, she took him in, standing resolutely against the panoramic view of the bay, the crystalline waters calm beneath the cerulean sky dotted with white fluffy cumulus clouds. She made her way slowly to his side, slipping her hand into his. He raised it to his lips as his eyes met hers, all the love in the world shining in their sable depths.

"Rumpel, there's still time," she murmured brokenly, her throat closing around the pain threatening to seal her throat.

He tugged on her hand as a sad smile curled one corner of his mouth, pulling her over to the chaise. He sat, urging her to sit beside him, twining her fingers with his. "There is no more time, sweetheart. We should be thankful that we were granted the short time we had. At least we were able to find one more drop of happiness before the end, yeah?"

"No. You can't leave me. You promised me forever. There has to be something in one of those books," she cried vehemently. A sob tore free from her chest as she tried to rise and he held her firmly, preventing her escape. "I won't let you say goodbye!"

Gold clasped her tightly to his chest, his long spinner's fingers carding through her hair as she wept. "I will always be with you, Belle. As long as you love me, I will live in your heart. But it won't be me any longer. Once my capacity to love is gone, the demon will truly have won."

"I will NOT let Regina imprison you in that infernal hat, Rumpelstiltskin. I won't!"

"She must. You cannot allow the Dark One loose on your beloved town. You cannot allow him to roam free. Think of what he is capable of and what it would do to you to see him wearing my face, torturing people you love … _you_ … and having to destroy him. The hat is the best solution," he said, his tone quiet, resolved yet adamant.

"You've already taken the potion, haven't you?" she asked, raising her head so she could see it in his eyes for herself.

"I have. It will bind his power until he can fully regain his strength. It should give you enough time to imprison him."

Her teeth sank into her lower lip so hard she could taste the metallic twang of her blood on her tongue as more and more tears slipped unbidden over her ashen cheeks. "Rumpel …"

He cradled her face in his warm palms, his gaze caressing her face just as surely as his thumbs brushed over the smooth curve of her jaw. "I'm so sorry, my love. I wish I could go back …"

"Back? What are you talking about?" she asked, smoothing the hair away from his eyes where the light breeze had tousled it.

"To that day in my castle … when your brave little heart told you to take a chance and show the beast how much you loved him. I was such a fool, Belle. If I had let you break my curse …" He let his head fall back against the soft cushion of the chaise, his lids heavy as he gazed at her tenderly. "I should have told you how much I loved you. If I hadn't been so afraid …"

"You needed your power to find your son. I understand why you –"

"I was a coward," he insisted. "If I had kept you with me, we could have found another way to Bae … together. We could have been happy, Belle." He pressed a kiss to her brow. "I'm so sorry."

"R-Rumpel, please … please hang on just a little longer. Let me try …" her voice broke on another sob that shook her to the very core of her soul. She rested her hand over his heart as she wailed her despair. She knew Regina was somewhere in the house, but she couldn't bring herself to care if she heard or not. "Please, don't leave me. I need you."

"You have so much love in your heart," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper now. His hand cradled the back of her head as she rested her ear over his heart. "I hope someday you'll find someone to love … someone worthy of you. Belle … I _do_ love you."

"No!" she cried as the last thud of his heart faded into nothing, the sound so full of despair even the gulls seemed to cease their calls. "No, Rum! No! Please!"

She didn't know how long she sat there with him, waiting, watching … hoping. Only the sun setting and Regina coming to pull her away from him brought her out of the near catatonic state she'd fallen into. How long would it take for the demon to issue forth and claim her love's body? "Leave!" she commanded, her eyes flashing hotly at the queen. "At least let me say goodbye!"

Regina retreated, though she didn't go far, ready to use her magic should Belle's life be threatened. She'd promised Rumpelstiltskin to protect his wife and it was not a vow she took lightly.

Belle carded her fingers through the silver strands at his temple, reveling in the softness, knowing she'd never be able to do this again. She pressed her brow to his, remembering countless times when that simple touch had been more reverent and profound than a kiss. She nuzzled her nose to his, memories of playful banter and whispered promises, stolen kisses and soft touches … all gone … never to be shared again.

She traced his lips with her fingertips as she leaned down, wanting … no _needing_ … to kiss him one last time. One last kiss before he was taken from her forever. She pressed her lips to his, all the love in her heart pouring forth in a touch as light as angel wings. Never would there be another whose lips fit so perfectly to hers, nor felt quite so precious. She gasped as a prism of light enveloped them and shot outward over the bay. She could hear Regina's cry of astonishment, feel the sharp intake of breath as Gold's chest rose in a gasp, but she couldn't take her gaze from the startled surprise in his eyes as they opened to stare back at her.

"Rumpel?"

"Belle! Belle, what did you do?" he whispered, his tone colored with no small bit of wonder.

"True love's kiss! I think it broke your curse," Regina said, moving over to them to kneel next to the chaise.

"How can you be sure it's not the Dark One trying to toy with us?" Belle asked warily.

"Only one way to find out," the queen said, ramming her hand into Gold's chest to grasp tightly to his heart. He whimpered as she pulled her hand free of his chest, a brightly pulsing heart gripped between her fingers. No longer was it the black hardened husk of coal from before. No, it was healed, pure. He'd been given a second chance, their love having saved him after all.

Regina returned it to his chest and rose to her feet. "I'm glad you're not dead … er … or a demon. It would just be so messy to have to kill you."

Without another word and their chuckles following behind her, she left the terrace to find her keys. She had a true love of her own to go home to. Gold wound his fingers through Belle's hair and pulled her close, not wanting to waste a moment with her. "I love you, Belle … so much, sweetheart."

She pressed her brow to his and smiled, happier than she could ever remember being. "What say we get started on our happily ever after," she whispered, knowing this time … this time they would find it.

**Much love to Ethereal Wishes and FaerieTales4ever for making me write this. Thanks so much for reading!**


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